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WASHINGTON 


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The    Masonic    fair    and    Exposition 
Washington,   D.  C-   -    -    April, .  19O2 


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IIOLDON'S     LIFE     CAST-PROFILE 


WASHINGTON 


HIS  PERSONALITY 


BEING  A  HISTORY   AND   DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   ONLY  LIFE  CAST 
EVER   MADE   OF   THE   FEATURES   OF   GEORGE   WASHING- 
TON,    MODELED     BY     JEAN     ANTOINE     HOUDON 
AT  MOUNT  VERNON  IN  1785,  WITH  A  PEN 
SKETCH  OF  THE  FAMOUS  SCULPTOR 


Price       -       -       -       25  Cents 


THE    MASONIC    FAIR    AND    EXPOSITION 

WASHINGTON,    D.  C. 

APRIL.    1900 


1  The  immortal  Washington,  himself  a  Free  Mason, 
devoted  his  hand,  his  heart,  his  sacred  honor,  and, 
if  need  be,  his  life  also,  to  the  cause  of  freedom  of 
conscience,  of  speech,  and  of  action,  and  from  his 
successful  leading  has  arisen  this  Nation." 

—Myron  M.  Parker,  P.  G.  Af.,  Washington,  D.  C. 


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WASHINGTON. 

"  Virginia  gave  us  this  imperial  man, 
Cast  in  tne  massive  mold 
Of  those  high-sutured  ages  old 
Which  into  grander  forms  our  mortal  metal  ran: 
She  gave  us  this  unblemished  gentleman — 
What  shall  we  give  her  back  but  love  and  praise? 

— Lowell. 

HPURNING  the  pages  of  history,  and  referring  to  the 
A      records  of  illustrious  men,  we  find  that  the  name 
of  Washington  stands  near   the  head,  if  not  first,  in 
the  immortal  list. 

From  childhood  to  old  age,  nearly  every  day  of  his 
life  is  well  known.  His  diary  reveals  with  wonderful 
accuracy  and  precision  his  thoughts,  actions  and  history. 
He  possessed,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  all  the  qualities 
of  a  noble  manhood.  The  results  of  his  wisdom, 
patriotism  and  sublime  courage  are  greater  than  those 
of  the  life  or  labor  any  man  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge  in  either  ancient  or  modern  times.  Witness 
this  great  Republic  with  its  seventy-five  millions  of 
people — the  freest,  the  richest,  most  intelligent  and 
happiest  country  in  the  world. 

Even  as  a  child  and  a  youth  the  life  of  Washington 
is  not  without  interest  to  his  countrymen.  The  in- 
fluence and  teachings  of  his  mother  had  a  great  deal  to 


279603 


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do  with  the  formation  of  his  character  and  the  princi- 
ples which,  at  an  early  period  of  his  life,  controlled  his 
actions  in  later  years.  In  early  manhood  the  tendency 
of  his  life  was  in  the  direction  of  the  military.  The 
superior  traits  which  Washington  exhibited  in  his 
unexampled  career  were  undoubtedly  due  in  a  great 
measure  to  his  mother. 

He  began  as  a  pioneer  appointed  by  the  Governor  of 
Virginia  in  the  year  1754.  He  penetrated  the  country 
to  the  head  waters  and  tributaries  of  the  Ohio  river  and 
passed  down  that  beautiful  stream,  the  banks  of  which 
at  that  time  were  inhabited  by  Indians.  Landing  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha  river  he  made  his 
way  directly  east  through  the  wilds  of  what  is  now 
West  Virginia,  over  the  mountains  to  his  Virginia 
home. 

In  1755  he  met  the  Colonial  officers  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  and  received  his  commission  as  colonel  with  orders 
to  report  to  the  English  commander,  General  Braddock, 
near  Fort  Duquesne.  He  reached  the  headquarters  of 
the  Colonial  troops  shortly  before  the  battle  in  which 
General  Braddock  was  killed  and  his  army  defeated  by  a 
superior  force  of  French  and  Indians.  In  vain  did 
Washington  plead  with  General  Braddock  to  change  his 
strategy,  tactics  and  plans  for  battle,  but  to  no  purpose. 
After  the  defeat  of  the  Colonial  army,  Washington  took 
charge  and  directed  its  retreat.  It  was  here  that  he 
manifested  that  military  genius  which  showed  so  bril- 
liantly in  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  which  was  a 


seven    years'    struggle    against   the   greatest   and    the 
strongest  power  in  the  world. 

We  are  now  far  enough  away  from  the  war  for  Inde- 
pendence to  be  able  to  form  a  correct  judgment  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  it  was  conducted  and  the  results 
which  were  obtained.  Reviewing  the  lives  of  the 
famous  men  who  took  important  parts  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  we  may  safely  assume  that  Washington 
was  the  only  man  who  could  have  conducted  the  war 
to  a  victorious  conclusion.  However  this  may  be,  we 
surely  know  now  that  the  wisdom  and  generalship  of 
Washington,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  American 
army,  caused  the  surrender  of  two  great  armies  of  Eng- 
land, which,  in  two  conflicts,  laid  down  over  seventeen 
thousand  stand  of  arms  and  left  the  country.  And  it 
may  be  stated  here  that  no  English  army  ever  surren- 
dered or  laid  down  its  arms  to  any  foe  but  George  Wash- 
ington. 

i  Washington  was  a  successful  military  chief  and  was 
no  less  distinguished  in  civil  life.  There  may  have 
been  great  generals,  whose  genius  may  be  compared 
with  that  of  Washington,  but  there  is  no  ruler,  emperor, 
king  or  potentate  who  can  compare  with  him  as  a 
successful  ruler  and  leader  of  men ;  in  this  respect  he 
stands  alone  and  without  a  peer.  Although  an  aristo- 
crat bv  blood  and  education,  he  was  democratic  in 

. 
every  sense.     His  principles  concerning  the  rights  of 

men  were  those  of  Jefferson. 

The  principles,  usages,  precepts  and  sacrifices  made 
and  established  by  Washington  during  his  two  terms 


as  President  prove  his  true  patriotism,  while  his  state 
papers  are  models  of  wisdom.  He  devoted  his  pay  as 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  as  also 
his  salary  as  President,  to  the  cause  of  education.  He 
never  drew  a  cent  from  the  public  Treasury  for  his 
services  to  the  Nation.  He  never  appointed  a  relative 
to  any  office,  an  example  that  might  be  followed  by  his 
successors  with  some  benefit  to  the  public  service. 

It  is  true  that  Washington  had  his  enemies,  detrac- 
tors and  even  libelers  among  the  Tories  and  the  envious 
ones  of  the  day  ;  but  he  outlived  them  all.  They  are 
forgotten,  and  their  names  and  reputations  are  lost  or 
are,  at  best,  recorded  only  in  the  dusty  tomes  of  old 
libraries  and  are  scarcely  ever  referred  to.  There  are 
few  generals  who  have  commanded  large  armies  in  the 
various  nations  of  the  world  whose  escutcheons  are 
without  a  blemish. 

The  Indian  chiefs  in  the  days  of  Washington  had  great 
respect  for  him  and  believed  that  he  bore  a  charmed 
life.  It  is  a  recorded  legend  that  an  Indian  chief  fired 
a  number  of  times  direct  at  Washington  ;  after  each 
shot  he  was  particular  in  his  aim,  but  he  was  unable  to 
even  wound  him. 

When  Washington  was  appointed  Conimander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Revolutionary  army  and  given  his  com- 
mission, he  stood  up  in  the  Assembly  to  offer '  his 
thanks,  but  was  unable  to  utter  a  word.  The  Speaker 
came  to  his  rescue  and  said:  "Sit  down,  Colonel 
Washington  ;  your  modesty  is  only  equaled  by  your 
valor,  and  we  have  no  language  adequate  to  describe 


either  the  one  or  the  other."  Washington  was  not  an 
orator,  yet  his  language  was  terse  and  plain,  often 
eloquent  and  even  poetical.  He  was  a  pleasant  con- 
versationalist, very  methodical  and  precise  in  his  state- 
ments and  sound  in  his  conclusions. 

One  of  the  General's  most  effective  and  telling 
speeches  was  made  to  the  veterans  of  the  American 
army,  then  quartered  at  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  shortly 
before  peace  was  declared.  There  was  great  dissatis- 
faction in  the  ranks  because  the  soldiers  could  not  get 
their  pay,  and  also  on  account  of  a  series  of  letters 
written  and  published  by  a  Tory  named  Armstrong. 
When  Washington  stood  up  before  the  men  he  had 
often  led  to  victory  and  sometimes  followed  in  defeat, 
he  began  :  "  I  have  become  gray,  as  you  see,  in  your 
service,"  and  then  adjusting  his  spectacles,  he  added  : 
"and  almost  blind  in  the  service  of  our  country." 
That  was  enough.  Every  soldier  sprang  to  his  feet 
and  was  ready  to  follow  or  obey  his  great  commander. 
Washington  was  a  man  of  genuine  dignity.  It  was 
hardly  possible  for  any  person  to  approach  him  in  an 
off-hand  or  familiar  manner.  His  presence  was  that  of 
a  grand,  superior  and  dignified  man.  From  the  day  he 
first  took  command  of  the  army,  to  the  hour  his  spirit 
took  its  flight  to  worlds  beyond,  he  was  the!  chief  and 
important  personage  on  all  occasions  and  under  all  cir- 
cumstances. 

In  battle  he  was  the  personification  of  the  heroic  sol- 
dier. Neither  in  the  history  of  the  classic  Agamemnon, 
the  great  Alexander,  Napoleon,  nor  among  the  heroes 


8 

of  our  era,  can  we  find  superiors  in  personal  courage  to 
Washington.  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  when  the 
Americans  wavered  under  the  destructive  fire  of  the 
British  troops,  Washington  rushed  to  the  front,  repri- 
manded General  Charles  Lee  and  other  American  offi- 
cers in  severe  language,  seized  the  Stars  and  Stripes, 
charged  upon  the  enemy,  drove  them  back  and  gained 
the  day.  At  the  battle  of  Harlem  Plains,  he  not  only 
led  his  soldiers  against  the  enemy,  but  would  have 
charged  the  British  line  alone  in  advance  of  his  own 
troops  had  he  not,  as  Commander-in-Chief,  been  per- 
suaded by  his  officers  not  to  risk  his  life. 

When  the  eagles  of  victory  perched  on  the  American 
standard,  and  the  last  of  the  British  troops  were  driven 
or  departed  from  our  shores,  Washington  journeyed  east 
from  Virginia,  and  on  the  3Oth  day  of  April,  1789,  at 
Federal  Hall,  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau  streets,  New 
York  City,  he  established  the  Government  of  the  Con- 
federation and  Union  of  the  Thirteen  States  and,  as 
first  President,  he  appointed  John  Adams,  Vice  Presi- 
dent ;  Thomas  Jefferson,  Secretary  of  State  ;  Alexander 
Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  Henry  Knox, 
Secretary  of  War  ;  John  Jay,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court.  After  two  successful  terms  as  President, 
Washington  retired  to  private  life  at  Mount  Vernon,  a 
friend,  not  only  to  his  countrymen,  but  to  the  human 
race  ;  respected,  honored  and  loved  by  the  civilized 
world. 

On  December  14,  1799,  at  half-past  ten  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  Washington  died  at  Mount  Vernon,  after  a 


few  hours  of  great  suffering.  There  had  been  but 
little  hope  from  the  beginning  of  his  illness,  and  he 
appeared  to  be  perfectly  conscious  of  his  condition  ;  he 
spoke  very  little  and  with  difficulty.  His  devoted  wife 
was  by  his  side ;  also  his  secretary,  Colonel  Tobias 
Lear,  and  his  two  lifelong  friends  and  physicians,  Doc- 
tors Dick  and  Craik.  The  scenes  at  his  bedside  were 
plain,  simple  and  sincere.  Nothing  was  said  or  done 
to  niar  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion.  There  were  no 
ceremonies  of  any  kind  to  disturb  the  grief  of  those 
present.  His  last  words  were  :  "  It  is  well." 

Washington's  books,  papers,  letters,  documents,  and 
even  his  account  books,  were  found  to  be  in  perfect 
order.  Some  time  previous  to  his  death  he  had  given 
directions  as  to  the  disposition  of  his  remains.  His 
body  was  entombed  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  has  be- 
come the  Mecca  of  the  American  people,  and  pilgrims 
from  every  land  come  to  pay  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
the  man  who  was  justly  named  the  "  Father  of  His 
Country." 


HOUOON'S     LIFE     CAST-RIGHT     SIDE 


WASHINGTON   5s  X   MASON. 


"  So  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  Freemasonry,  I  conceive  them  to  be 
founded  on  benevolence  and  to  be  exercised  only  for 
the  good  of  mankind." 

— George  Washington,  1798. 


ON  the  4th  of  November,  1752,  Major  George  Wash- 
ington was  initiated  in  the  rites  of  Masonry  at 
Fredericksburg,  Va. ,  in  Lodge  No.  4.  By  special  favor, 
and  in  consideration  of  his  character,  he  was  accepted 
before  arriving  at  man's  estate.  In  the  record  of  that 
lodge  is  found  this  entry:  "Received  of  Mr.  George 
Washington  for  his  entrance  ^2.3-6."  On  the  3d  of 
March  following  he  passed  to  Fellowcraft,  and  on  the 
4th  of  August  to  Master  Mason.  To  the  end  of  his 
eventful  life  he  was  a  devoted  Mason. 

On  December  27th,  1778,  the  Commander-in-Chief 
was  present  in  Philadelphia  at  the  Festival  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist,  and  marched  in  the  Masonic  procession. 
In  the  sermon  preached  at  Christ  church  on  that  day 
to  the  brethren,  Brother  Smith,  D.  D.,  referred  to 
Washington  as  the  u  Cincinnatus  of  America."  The 
following  year  Washington  was  one  of  sixty-eight 


12 

visiting  brethren  at  the  American  Union  Lodge,  observ- 
ing the  same  festival  at  Morristown  ;  and  in  1782  he 
celebrated  the  anniversary  with  King  Solomon's  Lodge, 
Poughkeepsie.  The  centenary  of  this  event  is  com- 
memorated by  a  medal  issued  by  the  lodge. 

On  October  I3th,  1792,  the  corner-stone  of  the  Execu- 
tive Mansion,  familiarly  called  the  "White  House," 
was  laid  with  Masonic  and  civic  ceremonies  upon  the 
site  selected  by  Washington. 

On  September  i8th,  1793,  President  Washington,  as 
a  Master  Mason,  marched  with  the  Alexandria  Lodge, 
No.  22,  and  assisted  in  laying  the  southeast  corner-stone 
of  the  Capitol.  On  this  occasion  he  wore  the  apron 
and  regalia  embroidered  by  the  Marquise  de  Lafayette. 
The  gavel  used  is  preserved  in  Lodge  No.  5,  George- 
town, D.  C.  The  centenary  of  this  event  was  celebrated 
by  the  Government  and  by  the  citizens  of  the  District 
of  Columbia. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1797,  Master  Mason  ex-President 
Washington  attended  a  dinner  given  him  by  his  own 
lodge  in  Alexandria,  Va.  This  lodge  is  very  rich  in 
Washingtoniana,  having  an  original  portrait,  the  chair 
which  he  used  as  presiding  officer  and  the  regalia  em- 
broidered by  the  nuns  of  Nantes. 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1800,  in  Philadelphia,  a 
u  Lodge  of  Sorrow  "  was  held  in  memory  of  their  be- 
loved brother,  George  Washington,  by  1'Amitie,  a 
French  lodge  of  Ancient  York  Masons.  Simon  Chau- 
dron  delivered  an  address,  which  was  published  in 
French  and  English  and  widely  circulated. 


On  the  1 4th  of  December,  1899,  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  Washington  was  celebrated 
by  memorial  services  at  the  tomb  of  Washington  at 
Mount  Vernon,  at  which  representatives  of  the  Grand 
Lodges  throughout  the  country  took  part.  The  origin 
of  these  centennial  ceremonies  was  a  suggestion  made 
by  the  Grand  Master  of  Colorado  in  September,  1893, 
which  was  promptly  taken  up  and  acted  upon  by  the 
fraternity  at  large,  with  the  result  that  committees  were 
appointed  by  all  of  the  Grand  Lodges,  the  end  of  which 
was  not  only  the  memorial  exercises  at  the  tomb,  but 
ceremonies  were  held  by  the  subordinate  lodges  at  their 
rooms  on  that  anniversary  all  over  the  country.  The 
exercises  at  Mount  Vernon  were  in  charge  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Virginia.  President  McKinley  made  a  suit- 
able address  on  that  occasion. 

On  Tuesday,  November  4,  1902,  at  Philadelphia,  will 
be  held  one  of  the  most  important  and  memorable  cere- 
monies ever  held  in  the  Masonic  order.  The  occasion 
will  be  the  celebration  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  initiation  of  Washington  in  the  rites 
of  Masonry.  Announcement  has  been  made  that  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  has  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Grand  Lodge  of  Masons '.on  that  occasion  and, 
without  doubt,  the  rites  will  be  most  impressive,  as  well 
as  interesting. 


IIOIIDON'S     LIFE     CAST-LEFT     SIDE 


THE  HOUDON  LIFE  CAST. 

"  Nature  complimented  herself  when  she  created  Washington." 

— Lafayette. 

IN  the  year  1783,  the  Virginia  Legislature  passed 
the  following  resolution  :  "  That  the  Executive  be 
requested  to  take  measures  for  procuring  a  statue  of 
General  Washington,  to  be  of  the  finest  marble  and 
best  workmanship." 

Governor  Harrison,  a  forefather  of  ex-President  Har- 
rison, thereupon,  on  July  24,  1784,  wrote  to  Thomas 
Jefferson,  who  then  represented  the  United  States  in 
France,  informing  him  that  he  had  appointed  him  and 
his  friend,  Benjamin  Franklin,  our  representative  in 
England,  to  take  the  matter  in  charge,  saying  :  "  We 
have  unanimously  fixed  on  you  and  Dr.  Franklin,  who 
we  all  know  are  competent  for  the  task.  I  therefore 
most  earnestly  request  the  favor  of  you  to  undertake  it, 
to  wit — to  engage  a  sculptor  for  the  work." 

On  January  12,  1785,  Mr.  Jefferson  wrote  from  Paris 
informing  Governor  Harrison  that  all  arrangements 
had  been  made  with  the  sculptor,  Jeane  Antoiue 


i6 

Houdon,  to  execute  the  statue.  M.  Houdon  was  to  re- 
ceive one  thousand  guineas,  have  his  expenses  paid  and 
his  life  insured  for  twenty  thousand  livres.  That  was 
the  contract.  As  Dr.  Franklin  was  about  to  return  to 
America,  it  was  agreed  that  M.  Houdon  should  accom- 
pany him.  They  arrived  in  Philadelphia  about  Sep- 
tember i,  1785.  M.  Houdon  spent  some  time  in  that 
city  and  then,  by  easy  stages,  made  his  way  to  Mount 
Vernon,  where  he  arrived,  as  will  be  seen  by  Washing- 
ton's diary,  on  October  3,  1785. 

Washington  wrote  from  Mount  Vernon  to  Franklin, 
who  was  still  in  Philadelphia,  under  date  of  Septem- 
ber 26,  1785,  as  follows  :  "  When  it  suits  M.  Houdon 
to  come  hither  I  will  accommodate  him  in  the  best 
manner  I  am  able,  and  shall  endeavor  to  render  his  stay 
as  agreeable  as  I  can."  On  the  same  day  Washington 
wrote  to  M.  Houdon  and  closed  his  letter  as  follows  : 
"  I  wish  the  object  of  your  mission  had  been  more 
worthy  of  the  masterly  genius  of  the  first  statuary  in 
Europe,  for  this  you  are  represented  to  me.  It  will 
give  me  pleasure,  sir,  to  welcome  you  to  this,  my  seat 
of  retirement,  and  whatever  I  have  or  can  procure  that 
is  necessary  to  your  purposes,  or  convenient  and  agree- 
able to  your  wishes,  you  must  freely  command,  as  in- 
clination to  oblige  you  will  be  among  the  last  things  in 
which  I  shall  be  found  deficient,  either  on  your  arrival 
or  during  your  stay." 

M.  Houdon  remained  at  Mount  Vernon  two  weeks. 
During  that  period  he  had  ample  time  and  opportunity 
to  model  studies  of  Washington  and  to  make  moulds  in 


17 

plaster  over  Washington's  head,  neck  and  shoulders, 
which  he  did  successfully.  Among  those  present  at 
Mt.  Vernon  when  M.  Houdon  was  there  was  the  late 
Francis  T.  Brooke,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
presidents  of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  but  having  no 
prouder  distinction  than  that  of  being  the  friend  of 
Washington.  He  stated  in  the  presence  of  General 
William  H.  Richardson,  adjutant-general  of  Virginia, 
that  "  the  statue  in  the  Capitol  of  Virginia  is  an  exact 
likeness  of  Washington  as  he  then  appeared."  This 
statue  was  chiseled  in  marble  after  the  life  bust  of 
Washington  described  herein. 

No  higher  authority  than  that  of  Judge  Brooke  can 
be  adduced  on  the  question  of  the  likeness,  because  of 
his  intimate  knowledge  of  both  the  statue  and  the 
original.  The  Judge  graphically  said  that,  when  the 
artist  was  about  to  engage  in  his  work,  there  was 
announced  a  visitor  who  had  imposed  on  the  great 
General.  Straightway  on  his  grand  countenance 
shone  the  flush  of  the  fire  of  the  battle-field,  and  Hou- 
don cried  out,  in  his  explosive  French  fashion  :  "  Oh  ! 
If  I  could  only  catch  that  fierce,  heroic  look  ! "  But 
when,  later,  also  in  the  presence  of  Judge  Brooke,  the 
plaster  was  applied  for  the  life  cast,  the  expression  ob- 
tained, faithful  to  nature,  was  one  of  dignity,  repose 
and  nobility. 

Houdon,  at  that  time,  made  two  life  masks  over  the 
head,  neck  and  shoulders  of  Washington.  One  of 
them  be  used  to  mould  the  bust  herein  referred  to,  the 
other  he  took  with  him  to  France  for  use  in  com- 


i8 

pleting  the  statue  of  Washington  ordered  by  the  State 
of  Virginia.  He  took  this  precaution  fearing  loss  or 
injury  to  the  mask  he  took  with  him,  and  leaving  the 
bust  at  Mount  Vernon  as  material  for  himself  or  a  suc- 
cessor to  use  for  a  new  statue  in  case  of  accident. 
M.  Houdon  successfully  finished  his  statue,  which  was 
shipped  to  this  country  and  erected  in  the  quadrangle 
of  the  Capitol  at  Richmond,  Va.,  in  May,  1796. 

In  "George  Washington  Day  by  Day"  Elizabeth 
Bryant  Johnston,  an  eminent  authority  on  Washing- 
toniaua,  says:  "Jean  Antoine  Houdon,  the  eminent 
French  sculptor,  made  a  life  cast  of  Washington's 
head,  which  he  left  at  Mount  Vernon.  This  plaster, 
which  happily  was  not  taken  to  France,  must  forever 
remain  undisputed  the  head  of  Washington.  The 
beautiful  portrait  on  the  domestic  letter  stamp  is  after 
Houdon.  From  moulds,  when  in  America,  the  artist 
produced  the  head  from  which  he  modeled  the  marble 
statue  set  up  at  Richmond,  and  that  plaster  is  now  in 
the  '  Salle  Houdon,'  at  the  Louvre,  Paris."  The  other 
plaster  cast,  the  first  and  the  original  one,  is  that  por- 
trayed and  described  in  these  pages. 

In  this  life  bust  all  the  delicate  lines  which  give  ex- 
pression to  a  face  are  reproduced  with  marvelous  exact- 
ness, and  the  severe  dignity,  blended  with  a  noble  soft- 
ness, depicts  the  highest  type  of  manly  beauty,  which 
was  indisputably  George  Washington's.  Nearly  all  the 
statues  of  Washington  are  the  result  of  study  of 
Houdon' s  statue,  but  none  in  value  and  accuracy  can 
equal  this  bust,  cast  from  a  mask  taken  direct  from  the 


19 

"living,  animate  flesh,  illumined  by  the  matchless 
mind  and  soul." 

No  subject  is  more  fruitful  of  error  and  misrepresen- 
tation than  the  effigies  of  the  great  and  memorable. 
A  certain  gentleman  in  New  York  possesses  no  less 
than  one  hundred  and  five  delineations  of  Washington, 
differing  one  from  the  other,  although  all  of  them  bear 
some  resemblance  to  the  original.  Hence  the  inesti- 
mable value  of  this  bust,  cast  from  the  life  mask,  repro- 
ducing with  such  absolute  fidelity  the  exact  features 
and  expression  of  the  great  General  that  Lafayette 
declared  it  to  be  u  a  fac-sirnile  of  Washington's  person." 

This  life  bust,  apart  from  its  intrinsic  value  as  the 
work  of  the  greatest  sculptor  of  his  day,  has  a  greatly- 
enhanced  value  as  having  been  made  by  Houdon,  under 
the  happiest  auspices,  at  the  home  of  Washington  at 
Mount  Vernon,  and  because  it  is  the  original  bust,  made 
from  the  life  mask  of  Washington  by  M.  Houdon  at 
that  time.  During  this  time  the  renowned  sculptor 
and  the  President  were  inseparable,  the  latter  affording 
the  sculptor  every  opportunity  and  facility  to  become 
familiar  with  his  features  and  expression,  opportunities 
that  were  made  the  most  of,  as  the  bust  so  admirably 
shows. 

Plastic  portraiture,  cast  from  the  life  mask,  is  more 
acceptable  than  the  result  of  any  chisel,  though  it  be 
in  the  hands  of  the  most  highly-endowed  artist.  The 
Houdon  life  cast  is  conceded  to  be  the  standard  head  of 
Washington.  Recognizing  this,  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  has  placed  the  Houdon  head  upon  its 


20 

postage  stamps.  As  the  standard  head  of  Washington, 
it  is  presented  for  the  close  study  of  all  who  may  be  in- 
terested in  the  patriotic  subject.  If  introduced  gen- 
erally into  the  school,  the  library,  the  lodge  room,  the 
home,  within  one  decade  the  people  will  become  familiar 
with  its  strong  lines,  true  as  life,  for  the  matrix,  or 
mask,  from  which  this  bust  was  made,  was  moulded  on 
the  living  features  of  Washington  by  the  most  distin- 
guished artist  of  his  time,  who  was  brought  from 
France  to  this  country  by  the  State  of  Virginia  for  the 
express  purpose  of  making  a  life  study  of  the  great 
General.  We  are  most  fortunate  not  only  in  the  artist 
but  in  the  period  that  this  portrait  in  plaster  was 
secured.  Washington  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life, 
53  years  old,  just  two  years  after  the  close  of  the 
Revolution,  when  this  invaluable  bust  was  made  at  his 
home  at  Mount  Vernon  in  the  Autumn  of  1785. 

The  personality  of  George  Washington  is  a  theme 
which  has  for  many  years  engrossed  the  minds  of  the 
foremost  sculptors,  painters  and  literarians,  and  has  but 
recently  engaged  the  attention  of  the  educators,  as 
witness  the  simultaneous  unveiling,  on  the  29th  of 
January,  1902,  in  every  public  school  in  the  Borough 
of  Manhattan,  City  of  New  York,  of  colossal  busts  of 
George  Washington. 

These  colossal  busts  of  Washington,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  in  number,  are  designed  to  encourage  patriot- 
ism and  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  children  the 
features  of  the  immortal  Washington.  They  were 
modeled  by  Wilson  MacDonald,  the  oldest  and  one  of 
the  leading  sculptors  of  America,  and  are  enlargements 


21 

of  the  life  bust  of  M.  Houdon,  heretofore  described, 
and  as  before  stated,  made  from  the  only  life  mask  ever 
taken  of  Washington.  This  Houdon  life  bust  is  ac- 
cepted by  all  authorities  as  the  standard  of  excellence 
in  the  faithful  delineation  of  Washington,  and  was 
adopted  by  the  United  States  Government  for  the  por- 
traits in  use  on  its  printing  and  engraving. 

The  idea  of  presenting  these  enlarged  copies  of  M . 
Houdon's  Washington  originated  at  a  dinner  in  Albany, 
when  the  subject  of  patriotism  came  up,  and  incident- 
ally reference  was  made  to  the  excellent  move  in  having 
the  American  flag  displayed  over  every  schoolhouse. 
Mr.  Frank  Tilford,  of  New  York,  who  was  present,  be- 
lieving that  children  should  be  taught  patriotism,  as  a 
means  to  that  end  suggested  that  it  would  be  good  to 
have  a  bust  of  the  first  President  of  the  United  States 
in  the  assembly  rooms  of  the  schools,  and  offered  to 
present  busts  of  Washington  to  the  public  schools  of 
the  Borough  of  Manhattan. 

Ever  on  the  alert  for  an  opportunity  to  inculcate  the 
spirit  of  patriotism  in  the  children  of  the  public  schools, 
Mr.  Miles  O'Brien,  president  of  the  Board  of  Education, 
hailed  with  delight  the  plan  of  Mr.  Tilford  to  place  a 
bust  of  u  The  Father  of  His  Country  "  where  it  would 
constantly  greet  the  eyes  of  the  children  and  serve  as  a 
reminder  and  an  inspiration,  and  it  was  not  long  after- 
ward that  the  Board  of  Education  formally  accepted 
the  valuable,  patriotic  gift  of  Mr.  Tilford.  As  before 
stated,  the  Houdon  life  bust  herein  described,  was 
selected  for  the  model. 

Of  this  head,  Miss  Elizabeth  Bryant  Johnston,  author 


22 

of  "  The  Original  Portraits  of  Washington,"  and  who 
is  admitted  to  be  the  best  authority  on  likenesses  of 
Washington,  says  :  "  It  is  unquestionably  the  best 
portrait  of  Washington  in  existence.  The  artist  spent 
two  weeks  at  Mount  Vernon  and,  upon  leaving,  gave 
this  head  to  the  family.  All  who  have  examined  it 
agree  that,  as  a  portrait,  it  has  no  rival  and  as  data  is 
above  valuation."  Miss  Johnston  cites  this  entry  from 
Washington's  diary  :  "  Sat  to  M.  Houdon  for  my  bust, 
October  12,  1785."  Particular  attention  is  called  to 
this  statement  of  Washington,  for  it  proves  conclusively 
that  Houdon  modeled  Washington  from  life,  and  it 
may  be  impressively  repeated  that  there  was  not  a 
sculptor  in  America  but  M.  Houdon  who  could  model 
such  a  bust. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  to  Washington,  from 
Paris,  dated  January  4,  1786,  writes  :  "  I  have  been 
honored  with  your  letter  of  September  26,  which  was 
delivered  to  me  by  M.  Houdon,  who  is  safely  returned. 
He  has  brought  with  him  the  mould  of  the  face  only, 
having  left  the  other  parts  of  the  work  with  his  work- 
man, to  come  by  some  other  conveyance." 

As  to  the  material  which  M.  Houdon  made  at  Mount 
Vernon  and  other  facts,  it  is  shown  that  Houdon  un- 
doubtedly took  all  necessary  measurements  of  Wash- 
ington's person  ;  he  made  a  mould  of  his  face  and  the 
upper  part  of  his  person  ;  he  left  this  life  bust  at 
Mount  Vernon  and,  in  1800,  immediately  after  Wash- 
ington's death,  it  was  inventoried  and  valued  at  $100 
by  his  executors.  Washington  says  he  sat  for  his' bust ; 
there  was  not  another  artist  in  America  at  that  time 


23 

who  could  have  modeled  such  a  bust ;  Houdon  left 
part  of  his  material  at  Mount  Vernon,  saying  that,  in 
case  the  parts  he  had  should  become  lost,  there  would 
still  be  sufficient  material  for  him,  or  a  successor,  to 
continue  the  work. 

Mr.  Clark  Mills,  the  well-known  American  sculptor, 
in  1849,  shortly  after  he  obtained  the  commission  from 
Congress  to  execute  the  equestrian  statue  of  Washing- 
ton, went  to  Mount  Vernon  in  search  of  material  for 
his  work.  He  found  the  life  cast  in  the  old  library  once 
occupied  by  Washington,  the  west  room  on  the  first 
floor  of  the  mansion  at  Mount  Vernon.  He  proposed 
to  the  owner  of  the  estate,  Mr.  John  A.  Washington, 
who  was  a  grandnephew  of  General  Washington,  to 
make  a  mould  over  the  old  cast,  thus  in  case  of  acci- 
dent, saving  the  old  head,  and  to  leave  two  clean  copies 
with  his  host,  the  said  John  A.  Washington.  This  was 
acceded  to,  and  Mr.  Mills  carried  the  old  head  to  the 
City  of  Washington,  where  it  remained  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Mills  until  1873,  when  he  presented  it  to 
Mr.  Wilson  MacDonald,  the  sculptor,  who  was  a  com- 
petitor, among  others,  with  Mr.  Mills  for  the  commis- 
sion given  by  Congress  for  the  statue  of  Admiral  Farra- 
gut. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Mills  had  the  old  head  stored  in  a 
dark  room  under  the  dome  of  the  Capitol  at  Washing- 
ton. Mr.  Mills  procured  a  candle  and  he  and  Mr. 
MacDpnald  descended  to  the  dark  room.  There,  on  a 
mantel,  stood  the  old  head.  Mr.  Mills  held  the  candle 
aloft  dnd  said  :  ' '  You  have  always  been  friendly  to  me 
and,  as  our  sentiments  are  about  the  same  on  certain 

279603 


24 

political,  philosophical  and  religious  matters,  I  want  to 
present  to  you  the  original  Ilife  cast  of  Washington, 
made  by  Houdon  at  Mount  Vernon,  from  life,  in  1785. 
I  am  a  pretty  old  man  and  will  not  model  any  more." 
Mr.  MacDonald  took  possession  of  the  old  head  then 
and  there  and  carried  it  in  his  arms,  not  wishing  to 
trust  so  precious  a  relic  to  the  carelessness  of  others,  to 
the  residence  of  Mr.  Samuel  Ward,  on  E  street.  It  was 
often  seen  there  by  Mr.  Mills,  who  afterward  wrote  for  Mr. 
MacDonald  a  letter  of  presentation.  The  bust  was  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  MacDonald  for  more  than  twenty 
years  and  has  since  been  in  the  keeping  of  the  present 
holders. 

The  old  head  itself  is  just  as  it  came  from  the  hands 
of  the  great  sculptor,  M.  Houdon,  except  that  it  is  dis- 
colored by  the  moulder  when  it  was  done  in  bronze  by 
the  late  Clark  Mills. 

M.  Houdon,  who  died  in  1828,  left  a  reputation  sur- 
passing all  others  of  modern  time  as  a  portrait  sculptor, 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  proportions  of  the 
human  figure  and  his  intimate  knowledge  of  anatomy 
equaling  that  of  the  greatest  surgeons.  The  marvel- 
ous works  that  he  has  left  show  him  to  have  been  with- 
out a  peer  among  his  contemporaries  and  successors 
and,  if  he  ever  had  an  equal  in  the  creative  or  imita- 
tive art,  it  was  in  the  peerless  Apelles  alone. 

"  Washington  is,  to  my  mind,  the  purest  figure  in  history." 

—  Gladstone. 


[We  are  indebted  to  Elizabeth  Bryant  Johnston  for  extracts  and  the  beautiful 
head  and  tail  pieces  taken  from  her  book  "  George  Washington  Day  by  Day."] 


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